Haveli Sangeet – Young Ahmedabad Scholar Receives National Cultural Honour

Haveli Sangeet –  The long-standing Pushtimarg Haveli Sangeet tradition has gained national recognition with the selection of Ahmedabad-based scholar Acharya Shri Ranchhodlalji Goswami for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2025. The award was announced by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, functioning under the Ministry of Culture, for the 2024-25 cycle.

Recognition for a Living Musical Tradition

Acharya Ranchhodlalji Goswami is the 16th Acharya of the historic Goswami Haveli in Kalupur, Ahmedabad. He said the honour should be viewed as recognition for Haveli Sangeet as a whole rather than as a personal achievement.

In a statement shared by the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office, he described the award as a tribute to India’s enduring links between music, faith and cultural practice. He said Haveli Sangeet carries a significant part of the country’s devotional and artistic heritage.

Roots in the Pushtimarg Tradition

Haveli Sangeet is closely associated with the Pushtimarg tradition established by Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhacharyaji around 550 years ago. Within this tradition, devotional singing and kirtan hold an important place in worship.

The music is performed according to a carefully structured system of ragas, with compositions selected for particular hours of the day and changing seasons. Separate musical practices developed for spring, summer, the monsoon and autumn, helping shape the distinctive character of Haveli Sangeet over generations.

Scholar, Composer and Teacher

Goswami leads the approximately 450-year-old Goswami Haveli located in Doshiwada ni Pol in Ahmedabad. He received his musical training through the traditional guru-shishya system and later pursued formal academic study in the discipline.

He holds postgraduate and M.Phil. qualifications in Music from the Upasana School of Performing Arts at Gujarat University and is currently working towards a PhD. He also contributes as an expert faculty member to the university’s Haveli Sangeet curriculum.

At the age of 32, he has composed more than 22,000 devotional padas and written eight books. His work includes compositions in Braj Bhasha, Gujarati, Sanskrit, Charani, Mewari and Marwari, reflecting the broad linguistic range of the tradition.

Preserving Earlier Forms of Classical Music

According to Goswami, Haveli Sangeet retains elements of some of India’s oldest vocal traditions. He said forms such as Prabandh, Dhrupad and Dhamar were part of the musical stream that later contributed to the development of Khayal singing.

He noted that Haveli Sangeet continues to preserve these older styles within its devotional setting. The tradition has also carried the works of the Ashtachhap poets, including Surdas and Parmananddas, since the period of Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhacharya and Shri Vitthalnathji.

For practitioners, the form extends beyond performance, he said, as it remains closely connected to worship and daily devotional service in Havelis.

Call for Academic Support

Goswami said the award is a moment of pride for the Vaishnav community as well as followers of Indian classical music. Haveli Sangeet remains active across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab.

He said the recognition may be among the first of its kind for the tradition at such a prominent national level since Independence. Looking ahead, he called for full-time university courses focused on Haveli Sangeet, along with stronger research and documentation efforts.

He also recommended authoritative publications, comparative studies, seminars, workshops and lecture programmes to encourage younger audiences to engage with the tradition. The national honour, he said, could help bring wider attention to a musical heritage sustained in devotional spaces for more than five centuries